Fletcher allays injury worries

England cricket coach Duncan Fletcher was certain he would have a full squad available for the first Test against Australia next month, despite injury concerns surrounding several tourists.

England's tour party flies out to Australia tomorrow for the five Test tour with clouds hanging over pacemen Darren Gough, Simon Jones and Andy Flintoff and batsmen Mark Butcher and Michael Vaughan.

Gough, Jones and Flintoff will arrive in Australia still a long way from full fitness but Fletcher was confident the three first class matches before the opening Test in Brisbane on November 7 would give them enough time to recover.

Spearhead Gough, who has 228 Test wickets to his name, is vital to England's bid to win back the Ashes for the first time since 1987.

And Fletcher played down fears that knee surgery in the summer would keep the 32-year-old out of at least the first two Tests.

"We expect Gough to be fit for the first Test. He's ahead of schedule," Fletcher said.

"He's been bowling off a short run for the last week and a half."

Flintoff has not fully recovered from a hernia operation and said today he was still unable to run.

Jones, however, was making good progress with his side strain, as were Butcher and Vaughan with their niggling knee injuries

"Everybody is as we hoped. The only person that is slightly behind schedule is Andy but we do have time on our side," Fletcher said.

"We can get him along in the next 10 days or two weeks in Australia.

"Simon Jones has been bowling in Glamorgan and is bowling at 85 to 90 per cent.

"Butcher and Vaughan, from what I've heard, they will be available from the start."

Fletcher today announced he had signed a one-year extension to his contract to keep him at the helm of the England side until 2004.

"We have already laid the foundations of a successful side and the contract extension will give me the opportunity to help the England team progress even further," he said.